IAEA chief sees 'good progress' in talks with IranBRUSSELS, May 7 (AFP) May 07, 2008UN atomic watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei Wednesday welcomed "good progress" in talks with Iran, noting that a team was in Tehran to discuss the country's "alleged studies of weaponization."

"To verify Iran's past and present activities, we have made good progress," the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) told journalists in Brussels at a joint news conference with European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso.

"However, we still have the issue of the so-called alleged studies of weaponization," he said. "Right now we have a team in Iran which is working with the Iranian authorities to clarify this issue."

The IAEA has said the talks, which began on April 21, are focused on pressing Iran over allegations that it conducted studies on how to design a nuclear weapon.

Iran insists that the talks are merely routine cooperation between the authorities and the agency, however.

"I very much hope that Iran will continue to work closely with us to demonstrate full transparency because the more transparency we get the more assurance we can provide," ElBaradei said.